Why are most people in the Western World Unhealthy? (Repeat of 7th March 2002 article.)

In our last issue we briefly examined the state of the health care system and offered a few opinions as to why it is in such poor shape.

I said at that time we would try in the next issue to shed some light as to why the majority of the population is overweight and in less than optimum health. I won’t bore you with a whole lot of facts as you have probably heard most of them before, particularly those relating to obesity.

Observe the Evidence:

I am sure that you will have observed the evidence of the extent of general poor health yourself…first hand. If you haven’t already done so, next time you are in a shopping mall sit down for 10 minutes and consciously observe the outward health of the people passing by you? Look at whether they are overweight, observe their skin for clarity and firmness, take note of the way they move... are their movements effortless and appear to have energy to spare, or are they sluggish as if they are carrying a burden? Also look at their eyes... are they bright, clear and alert?

I think that you know what the results of a personal survey such as this will reveal! It will show that the MAJORITY of the people that pass by you will either be overweight or have other outward signs of less than optimal health.

I am not being judgmental of these people because many of them are in this condition primarily as a result of being fed misinformation through the media by either misguided authorities or commercial interests. Before I expand on this I should mention that a certain number of these people are nevertheless 100% to blame for their condition.

An Example:

Let me give you a personal example... I am sure you can relate to others!

I travel to Florida quite frequently and when in Ft Lauderdale I usually stay with family friends. Some years ago I gave them a gift of a water distiller so they would stop drinking the tap water. Although they were grateful for the gift I could tell that they really couldn’t see the point in having a distiller even though I had told them that drinking tap water was hazardous to their health. However, after we distilled the first gallon and I showed them the residue of water left in the boiling chamber they were converted. That remaining water was dark brown with a light slivery sheen on the surface. And, it smelled really foul! Tap water is another story, which we will cover, in a future issue.

Anyway, they were so amazed that one of them rushed next door to show their friend this foul water. Their friend came over, had a look but pointed out that it wouldn’t affect her health because she never drinks water... only coca cola. She was already overweight and starting to have health problems. I tried to ‘point her in the right direction’ with regard to some of her dietary habits. That was about 5 years ago. She never changed any of her habits... still drinks coke, no water, and eats McDonalds five nights a week.

Her health is deteriorating badly which is not surprising. She now experiences one health problem after the other. Her age... late 30’s!

This is a sad example of a person who is overweight and in poor health but she has no one to blame because she knows her habits are damaging her health but does not care.

So much for people who don’t think their health is very important. What about the rest of the unhealthy group who are in this condition primarily due to being fed a constant stream of misinformation!

These can be placed into just a few general categories:

1. Psychological.

There is a constant barrage of ‘pill’ advertising which we are subjected to every day. Consider the influence that this has on the general population. If you were to believe the adverts and ignore the side effect warnings it would be quite easy to get the impression that there is a ‘pill’ solution for most ailments. Added to this are the constant news releases that talk about new medical discoveries such as being able to grow replacement organs when your own wear out, and don’t forget about the ‘promising’ research for other new ‘miracle’ drugs just over the horizon.

All these influences combined with a ‘busy’ society looking for a quick and easy ‘fix’, it is no wonder that so many people are quite ‘slack’ when it comes to taking care of their bodies... particularly on the inside.

2. Dietary Advice.

The food pyramid that is recommended people adhere to, has largely been discredited scientifically but continues to be pushed. Also, an obsession has developed in which people are constantly advised to reduce their fat intake. The ‘official’ line is that saturated animal fats are bad for you and you should avoid butter etc, etc... People believe that if you eat saturated fat you will become fat, or if you eat foods containing cholesterol such as eggs you will raise your cholesterol levels, and so on.

The reality is quite different but I do not have the space to examine this further right now. But just as a quick illustration take cholesterol. 80% of your blood cholesterol is manufactured by your liver. In other words only 20% is from dietary sources. So, if you reduced your intake of cholesterol by 25% it would only impact on your overall cholesterol by 5%.

By people accepting the ‘official’ no fat line they turn to alternatives such as margarine and other vegetable oil substitutes. What they are not aware of is that most of these substitutes, which are derived from vegetable oils, are in fact hydrogenated because otherwise they would be liquid at room temperature. This involves treating the oils and the resulting substance is much, much more harmful than butter could ever be. As oils and fats are a subject on their own I shall devote a complete issue on this subject.

The official dietary guidelines virtually ignore the incredibly harmful impact of processed foods and sugar on the human body. They also ignore the fact that the normal western diet is seriously lacking in essential nutrients, which translate to imbalances and poor health.

3. Mystery

We all know that the human body is an amazingly complex ‘vehicle’. No one fully understands all the interactions that are taking place within it every second throughout your lifetime. This includes the medical profession along with the pharmaceutical industry, evidenced by the ongoing removal from the market of drugs which have been approved and considered to be safe and afterwards found not to be.

Nonetheless, many people place far too much reliance on the medical profession. Apart from using the medical profession for important tests to find out the internal health of your body so you can make corrections in your lifestyle habits if required, you should never have to visit a physician. Now, I understand and appreciate that this is not the case for the vast majority of people. I just want to make the point that other than routine check ups if you need to visit the Doctor it means you have damaged your body in some way and are seeking a repair.

Your body is not like a car when it comes to repair issues. When you try to repair your body through the use of pharmaceutical drugs you run a serious risk of starting a cascade effect which will bring on other health problems in the short or longer term.

In Summary

If you want to live a life of vibrant health and energy take a close look at your attitude to health and consider honestly if you are working towards removing as much as possible the mystery of how your body works. Realize that there is no quick and easy medical ‘fix’ for most ailments as a single ailment is often merely one small symptom of other underlying problems that cannot be effectively dealt with in isolation... in the long term.

Try to eliminate as much as possible, your intake of manufactured and processed foods and avoid drinking sodas, and tap water. If you are overweight be particularly vigilant about avoiding sugars in any form…they are much more damaging to your weight objectives than fat.

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